Archive for the 'Baltimore Orioles' Tag Under 'Angels' Category

Angels first baseman Albert Pujols is at DH for a second consecutive game this afternoon, the first time this season Pujols has not been at first base in consecutive games. Kendrys Morales started at first on Saturday, Mark Trumbo today.

But Angels manager Mike Scioscia insisted that there is "no physical issue" prompting the DH time for Pujols on the final weekend before the four-day All-Star break.

"No, we're just trying to re-energize him a little," Scioscia said. "It's an opportunity to get his legs a little refreshed. There's no physical ailment. It's just a situation where he would have gotten day off last year (without the DH in the National League)."

Pujols has had just one day off in the first half of the season, back on May 5 when he had bottomed out with a .194 batting average, no home runs and nine RBI in the Angels' first 27 games. Since that day off, Pujols has batted .304 with 13 home runs and 44 RBI in 58 games.

But he has gone 4 for 19 (.211) with just one extra-base hit and one RBI (a solo home run Wednesday) since he was hit in the back of the left shoulder by a throw on a stolen base in Cleveland Tuesday.

The Angels piled up 16 hits in a 13-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles Wednesday night at Camden Yards, completing a mini-sweep of the two-game series.

The win was the Angels' 13th in their past 14 road games, their best road stretch since a similar 13-1 run away from home in July and August 1995.

The Angels had 17 hits in a 7-3 win over the Orioles on Tuesday, the second time this season they have had at least 15 hits in consecutive games. The other time came during their sweep of the Rockies in Colorado earlier this month.

Like that mile-high romp, Wednesday's win was ignited at the top of the lineup. Mike Trout was 4 for 6 and scored three runs, raising his league-leading average to .344. Torii Hunter had three hits including a solo home run in the first inning and scored four runs. Albert Pujols was on base three times as well, all on walks. In the cleanup spot, Kendrys Morales had four RBI on three singles.

In his second start since returning from the DL, Jered Weaver allowed one run on six hits in 6 2/3 innings to run his record to 8-1 and drop his ERA to 2.31 -- second in the American League behind White Sox left-hander Chris Sale (2.24) and just ahead of Angels teammate C.J. Wilson (2.36).

Angels catcher Chris Iannetta's wrist has healed from the May 11 surgery to remove a small bone that was fractured when he was hit by a pitch on May 2.

But persistent pain in his forearm has twice shut down his attempts to return to action and required MRIs, leaving him frustrated and anxious.

Iannetta was originally scheduled to go on a minor-league injury-rehabilitation assignment June 8. That's when the pain in his forearm first flared up and he was shut down. An MRI was taken which Iannetta said showed only some strain, most likely caused by his overanxious attempts to ramp up his recovery and return from the surgery faster.

Iannetta restarted a throwing program but persistent pain led to another examination last week. This time, dye was injected into his forearm as part of the process in order to try and pinpoint any problems. His throwing activity had to be shut down again after the procedure.

Iannetta has been limited to light throwing the past couple days and Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he should be able to resume his throwing program later this week. Iannetta will have to progress through various stages, stretching out in long toss to over 200 feet before he starts throwing to bases during defensive drills. A rehab assignment before the All-Star break now looks unlikely.

The Angels got a season-high four home runs and handed the Baltimore Orioles a 7-3 defeat Tuesday night at Camden Yards.

The victory was the Angels' 12th in their past 13 games on the road and opened a nine-game road trip, part of a stretch that will have the Angels playing 16 of 20 games on the road. Before this trip, they had played 21 of their previous 24 games in California (18 at home, three at Dodger Stadium).

The four home runs are a season-high for the Angels.

Albert Pujols hit the first one, a two-run home run in the fifth inning. He went 2 for 5 in his first game at Camden Yards and has now hit home runs against every team he has faced in the regular season during his career except the Texas Rangers. He homered against them in last year's World Series. (And he has never faced the Cardinals.)

Bourjos hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning. In the starting lineup for consecutive games for the first time since May 26-30, Bourjos also hit a two-run home run on Sunday.

Angels right-hander Jerome Williams threw approximately 50 pitches in a three-inning, simulated-game approach to his bullpen session this afternoon. Williams said he felt "great" afterwards with no recurrence of the breathing difficulties that caused him to pass out and be hospitalized following his most recent start.

Williams was placed on the DL following that episode and will be eligible to pitch again on July 4. He could go out on a minor-league injury-rehabilitation assignment within the next week in order to prepare for that.

"We'll see how he comes out of it but he definitely looked good this afternoon," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Tuesday. "But he got a great workout, threw 50-plus pitches. We'll see how it sets up in the next day or two.

"He's got to go out and pitch a little bit first and make sure all this is behind him."

The Angels will have a decision to make on where -- and if -- Williams fits into their rotation when he is ready to come off the DL. Rookie right-hander Garrett Richards is 2-0 with a 1.63 ERA in five appearances (four starts).

Angels right-hander Dan Haren took a shutout into the eighth inning Sunday afternoon but the Angels' bullpen couldn't hold the lead and the Angels lost to the Orioles, 3-2, in 10 innings.

Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis drove in all three runs with two-out hits off Angels relievers -- a two-run, bases-loaded single off Scott Downs in the eighth and the game-winning RBI single up the middle off LaTroy Hawkins in the 10th inning.

The blown save is the fourth in 16 games by the Angels bullpen, tied with the Blue Jays for the most in the majors this season.

Haren held the Orioles scoreless on four hits while striking out a season-high nine through the first seven innings. But he gave up consecutive singles with one out in the eighth. Downs came in and gave up another single to load the bases then got a force out at home on a grounder back to the mound. With two outs and the bases still loaded, though, Markakis singled through the left side of the infield, driving in the tying and go-ahead runs.

Howie Kendrick tied the game, 2-2, with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning and it stayed tied into extra innings.

With an off day tomorrow, Angels manager Mike Scioscia is using the opportunity to give Albert Pujols a two-day rest stop in the middle of the season's first month. Pujols is starting at DH for the first time today with Mark Trumbo filling in for him at first base -- after playing third base on Saturday, left field on Friday and DH on Thursday.

"It's just something where we want to keep him swinging the bat for 162 games," Scioscia said of Pujols.

Playing for the Cardinals the past 11 seasons, Pujols has played DH 12 times in interleague games, going 18 for 50 (.360) with four home runs and 12 RBI.

With Pujols at DH and Trumbo at first base (batting fifth), that makes this the 14th different lineup variation Scioscia has used in the first 16 games this season. However much attention his lineup choices through the early weeks of the season have gotten, Scioscia places no importance on the number.

"The different lineup research makes no sense to me," Scioscia said. "It doesn't correlate to anything."

Former Angels right-hander Joel Pineiro is still searching for a major-league job. The search will take him to the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk next.

Pineiro, 33, signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles this week after going to spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies signed Pineiro to a minor-league deal in January then released him before a $1.5 million major-league contract kicked in on Opening Day.

Erick Aybar had a career day as the Angels pounded the Baltimore Orioles 11-2 Sunday afternoon.

Aybar was 4 for 4 with two home runs, four RBI and five runs scored. It was the first multi-home run game of Aybar's career and gave him 10 home runs for the season, doubling his previous career-high. The hits, runs and RBI totals were all career-highs for a game and the five runs scored matched Tim Salmon's club record (set April 12, 1998 in Cleveland).

The Angels finished with 15 hits, their highest total since a 17-hit game in Detroit on July 28. Howie Kendrick had a three-hit game.Vernon Wells had two hits including a two-run home run.

All the offense made it an easy afternoon for Jered Weaver. Starting on three days' rest, Weaver allowed two runs on six hits (including a home run by Vladimir Guerrero) and a walk in six innings. He ran his record to 18-7, the most victories for an Angels pitcher since Kelvim Escobar won 18 games and John Lackey 19 in 2007.

Sunday's win moved the Angels within four games of the first-place Rangers, pending their game against the Mariners. The Red Sox were on their way to another loss Sunday afternoon which would move the Angels within four games of the wild card spot (with the Rays just two games behind the Red Sox).

A week ago, the Angels ended a homestand by taking two of three from the New York Yankees, the team with the best record in the American League.

Since then, they have looked sluggish playing two teams among the AL's non-combatants in the playoff race (the A's and Orioles) including back-to-back losses in Baltimore by a combined score of 14-5 the past two nights.

But Angels manager Mike Scioscia doesn't see any signs of his team getting "up" for a series against a team like the Yankees then suffering a let down against two teams they are supposed to dominate.

"There's nobody from our side that looks at teams we 'should beat,'" Scioscia said. "That's chatter. That's distraction. We talk all the time about how the margin between good teams and bad teams is not that great.

"This game is not about 'getting up' for teams or not. It's about playing with consistency and we haven't done that. ... At times, we've played well and beaten teams with records well above .500. At times, we've played poorly and lost to teams with records well below .500."